100 moose in northern NH to get GPS collars as part of study

About 100 moose in northern New Hampshire will be getting some pretty pricey new hardware around their necks this winter, thanks to a federal study.

The state is hoping to get global positioning system collars on them after they are tranquilized from the air as part of a $700,000, multi-year study into why the population may be on the decline in New Hampshire.

Kristine Rines, the state's moose project leader, said there are some suspects and one is related to climate change.

"If winter came back we wouldn't be seeing the die-offs," she said.

The past few winters have not been long enough to get rid of the winter ticks which are crawling across their backs, sucking their blood by the thousands.

The population has gone from an estimated 7,000 of the behemoths about seven years ago to about 4,500 today.

From 2001-2006, a similar mortality study was done with 100 collared animals, some of which are still alive and out there with their GPS units on.

When they die, a signal goes off and biologists will go to the animal and take samples to figure out why they died.

"We want to know what is the story, whether it is the ticks," she said of the reasons moose are dying. Brain worm, which is often related to high concentrations of deer in one area, have not killed any of the Northern moose collared in the last study.

This new, four-year study will include darting mostly cows and calves with a tranquilizer.

Members of the team will descend from the helicopter once the moose is tranquilized, take samples and check the animal over then attach a GPS collar.

It will be done in winter because the snow helps protect both the team and the animal. Mortality levels are low but injuries can occur and the snow helps lessen the incidents, Rines said.

The University of New Hampshire is part of the effort and will be selecting a contractor to do the helicopter, veterinary services, and the wrangling. Rines said state officials will not be involved in the actual capture.

While that is an expensive part of the study, another area is in the actual laboratory testing.

The presence and level of heavy metals in the liver and kidney will be an area of interest, Rines said, particularly the presence of cadmium.

She said the levels in New Hampshire moose have been of concern in the past "and we want to see if that has changed."

No nets will be used during this study. During the 2001 study, nets were used to capture them. Usually, levels of injury and mortality in these studies are low.

Rines said the outcomes could be used in determining hunting levels but it is really "to help us know what we are dealing with."

Glenn Normandeau, executive director of the NH Fish and Game Department, said moose permit numbers were allowed to increase several years ago after the state received complaints from the timber industry that the moose were stunting new growth while browsing clear cuts.

Permits, won in a lottery, have gone from the high of near 600 a few years ago to this coming fall's 281 permits to achieve the population goals.

The permits are issued by region, with different regions having different carrying capacities.

Fewer mills open in the area might have an impact in population as well. It mean fewer fresh timber harvests are available as compared to Maine.

Winter ticks, which link arms and hitch a ride on passing moose, can grow to as many as 120,000 on a single animal, sucking their blood and killing them, Rines said.

A long, snowy winter would be enough to eliminate them but we have not had one long enough in recent years to kill them off, in recent years.

"But one good thing," she said. "Fewer moose lead to fewer ticks," Rines noted.

The study will include two winters of capture and collaring and four years of field work. Funding is 100 percent paid for by federal aid to wildlife grants which collect their money from the sale of hunting and fishing products.

Minnesota this past winter collared 100 moose in a similar study after seeing a 35 percent decline in population in one year.

Still other states and provinces and moose around the world seem to be doing fine, including Maine, said Normandeau.

He said the state hosted a recent world conference on moose at the Mountain View Grand in Whitefield.

"We want to see what's going on," said Normandeau, noting that the moose population is an iconic part of New Hampshire, prized by many for many reasons.

"This study will help us better understand if there is anything we can do," he said.

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